It Happened at Westbrook

[Frozen Princess]

Inside bank @MsBloom

Windy huffed as what she had said, out loud, in the presence of the two, was seemingly ignored. "Geez, just like my so-called teammates. I don't exist." She grumbled under her breath, not paying attention to Alexa's physical change. She cleared her throat, and said aloud to be heard by Su-Ji. "I can handle that much. Like to know why I haven't heard anything since coming in here anyway. I thought I was part of the team. Just..." She made static noises, "is all I've heard. Tell the Cap I'll be right out with everyone, will ya, Cheshire? Please."

Shortly, she had everyone untied and heading out of the bank, taking the rear so she could catch any stragglers.

Getaway car, en route (still need a name for the farming community)

Erin narrowed her eyes at Blair, but held her tongue, for now. Although nobody deserved to be bullied, Blair was being just as unthinking. She had told the truth about what had happened, and no amount of torture and embarrassment was going to make her lie just to satisfy that ego. Erin resolved in herself that Blair was just going to hear the same truth until it got through that dense head.

Hill Street, just outside bank @MsBloom

When Windy came out with all the hostages (including Alexa in disguise) most of the rest of the police cheered, but a lieutenant grabbed Windy's arm. "Come on, Race Car, you're going to the trailer for a talk about your behavior."

"S'not my fault, I couldn't hear anything any of you said!" Windy pleaded, telling the truth. When the lieutenant held out his hand, Windy pulled out the earpiece and turned it over to him.

"Get this run, and thoroughly checked out. You better hope they find something wrong, or the Captain is going to skin your ass." He shoved her to the Captain.

"Give her a new earpiece. I'm going to give you a second chance, Velocity. IF you can give ME a good reason to trust you. How do we tail the bank robbers without them knowing?" Captain Fitzpatrick asked coolly.

"Uh... Wind power?"

"Explain."

"Look. They're going to spot a vehicle, or even a blue or blur, right?" Windy shrugged. "But what about an approaching tornado? It is Iowa after all. If I can create a whirlwind, and stay within the perimeters..."

Fitzpatrick held up a hand. "First off, Race Car, you're going to HAVE to keep the speed and whirling up the entire distance. Second, you will have to stick to the roads. What tornado does that?"

Greensburg, Kansas. 2007." An officer offered.

"THAT also took out 95% of the town!" Kirkpatrick hissed. "More recent and not as large!" Pinching her nose, she sighed.

"If those are the rules, I can do it, just give me another chance, and a com that's working. Please, let me prove to you I'm on your side!" Windy practically begged.

Sapphire, still in the school parking lot, and watched and filmed the car going South, describing ala golf announcer, it's direction. Stopping her live broadcast, she next texted Edith, Edith, tell the police, south on T-14! Nothing but farms that way, tho!

Kirkpatrick sighed again. "Fine. Follow the car, once we find out which way they went. Stay in contact! We'll have words later."

 

[Inkybus]

Getaway five-seater car - Schro @MsBloom @Frozen Princess

Schro did as Blair told him and drove, dropping all of his other point of views except for Captain Fitzpatrick, since he had to concentrate on driving the vehicle.

How do we tail the bank robbers without them knowing? was the question that followed and Schro could not help a wry grin spreading on his lips. He went ahead and put on the seatbelt, driving out onto the road that would take them out into the sticks and towards the farmland that Blair had instructed to go to, in order to go to the next phase in their simple plan to extract a semblance of justice from the detective that wronged them.

The Thinker mulled over the happenings of the robbery and idly wondered how the police would react to any more villains, should more crop up. If Alexa and Blair were metahumans, chances were that more existed and were not aligned with the group that had tried to face them before.

Signalling with the car's lights lawfully, he turned into the next street that would take the robbers and their hostages to Blair's selected place.

 

[MsBloom]

Su-Ji

As Alexa turned into a middle-aged man right in front of her eyes Su-Ji gasped with surprise.
"Way to go Mystique," she said with a smile and then helped another of the hostages up making her way to the entrance with them where Velocity brought them all outside.
"I'll just do one last round of the bank to make sure there aren't anyone else hiding in there," she said to the speedster and disappeared back into the bank while outside Windy was getting all the attention for saving the hostages. That in doing so she had also brought out one of the robbers in disguise was not something she knew about. If she had then perhaps things would have played out a lot differently when she brought out the hostages.

Su-Ji made her way into the back offices of the bank and found a few people who were in charge of everything from loans to financial advice. She told them that the robbers had left the bank and that it was safe to make their way outside where the police were waiting to take care of them. Satisfied that there were no more people to rescue in the back Su-Ji made her way into the basement and found the teller who had shown Blair the vault sobbing in a foetal position in a corner.

She took in the sight of what was left of the vault's door. Had one person really done that on their own? It seemed beyond implausible. She squatted down by the teller and told him, as she had told the others that it was safe to go outside but got very little response. Gently she then picked him up and carried him outside only to miss the others leaving to follow the robbers. She was however just in time to flag down Edith as she was about to follow them on her motorcycle (absolutely abandoning Sapphire to get there on her own) to where ever they intended to go.
"I need a ride," Su-Ji said and without waiting for Edith to reply got onto the motorcycle and held on.

Alexa

As soon as she had been checked out by the paramedics and given a fake statement to a uniformed officer Alexa left Hill Street and after having slipped into a shadowy alley to switch back to herself she began making her way back to the flop house to gather her things. It would probably not be safe to stay there anymore, in case Blair decided to come looking for her. Where she would go she had no idea though. For now a diner where she could hang out would do.

 

[Frozen Princess]

Bank. Hill Street 5:30pm @MsBloom

Windy had figured out which hostage was the extra, and only suspected it was Alexa. Hoping she was right, she sidled up to the middle aged man. "Need some help finding a place, check in at the Golden Spoon and ask for the owner, Mr MacEnroe. He should be there overseeing the reparations of the place. Or call him at this number." She slipped a business card with her dad's business cell on it. "Tell him Velocity will vouch for you."

Meanwhile, Captain Fitzpatrick got the information from Edith, before the reporter left, not giving Fitzpatrick a chance to tell Edith not to follow the bank robbers at all. "Looks like it's up to you, Race Car. Tell that reporter to back off from the getaway vehicle. We don't know how they'll react towards Detective Holmes or her if she's spotted. Once you get started, name the roads as you pass them."

Ginger looked around for Su-Ji, not knowing she left with Edith. In fact, neither did the Captain nor Ginger nor Sapphire, who was busy going back to her compact, to see Edith leave with Su-Ji.

Windy nodded, and then got ready to spin into a whirlwind. "Roger, and I know, stick to the road. I really wish now I had a change of clothes that would handle the friction. Let's hope the bad guys are just dumb enough to believe the tornado following them picked up a bunch of red clay."

Ginger glared. "Don't you mean pink, Velocity?" She then turned to Captain Fitzpatrick. "What do I do in the meantime? Twiddle my thumbs?"

"Unless you can follow the tornado without being seen? Yes. Park it, somewhere, Ms Magneto!"

En route @Inkybus @MsBloom

Windy named all the side roads heading out and after two minutes, the police heard Windy yell over her winds, "Ethel! Back off a little, if the bad guys see you, we can't guarantee your safety, or the hostage! Hi, Cheshire, give us a little bit, I got a working comlink! Let me approach as this tornado!"

Five minutes later, "Car in sight, following at forward speed on T-14 at 50mph, the speed limit through here... Whoop, we have to slow down to 40, just entered Farmer's Creek township. I'll let you know if we turn, we just might soon, but we lose jurisdiction at the Missouri State line."

The pink whirlwind would be seen in the side and rearview mirrors by now. Erin would see it in the rearview mirror as well as Schro, her eyes bugging out in fear. Velocity's winds had already been picked up by Des Moines Weather Service, and a tornado warning for Farmer's Creek had been issued.

"A tornado?! We're not going to outrun that! It's right on our six!" Erin gasped, thinking it was REALLY a tornado, and not Velocity.

 

[Inkybus]

Getaway five-seater car - Schro @MsBloom @Frozen Princess

Schro grit his teeth, wroth clearly writ on his face. "Such a shame that they decided to come after us despite the hostages."

And with that, Schro drove the car to the side, into the ditch. The tires squealed on the dry dirt and the grass that was mulched by the summer tyres of the vehicle. Immediately after, he killed the engine and called out to Blair: "Make sure the detective doesn't try to be a heroine: heavens know we don't need any more foolhardy attempts. I'm going to show them what it means to fuck with us!"

He concentrated once more on the POV of Captain Fitzpatrick, who saw a disembodied, floating humanoid shape that seemed to be like a kid that decided to dress as a ghost with a blanket overhead.

'He He he hE He hE!'

A demented laugh that prefaced it saying, with a voice like nails on chalkboard: 'YoUr CiViLiAnS wIlL sUfFeR! CaLl OfF yOuR dOg!'

While the hallucination spoke to Captain Fitzpatrick, the hostages that Schro had touched, including Erin, began to feel excruciating pain. While the detective was, maybe, more used to pain than others, this was not a simple bump-against-a-door kind of pain: it was as though they were being electrocuted in the abdomen, while also having their fingers smashed by a brick. Repeatedly.

Just as the hostages were, perhaps, talking to reporters or the law enforcement officers taking their account of the bank robbing, they screamed as this phantom pain rolled over every other feeling.

With the phantom pain in play, Schro held on to the steering wheel of the car, knuckles whitening and shoulders rolling as he prepared himself to weather the coming storm… no, tornado!

 

[MsBloom]

Blair.

Seeing the tornado approaching fast from behind, and having been raised on a farm knew what it could do, Blair dove into the back seat where they grabbed Erin and pushed her down onto the floor between the front and back seats with themself on top just in time for the tornado to pass them. As it did the winds shattered all of the car's windows, including the windscreen. Blair could feel some of the shattered glass bounce against their skin but no more than that. After that they didn't bother with checking if Schro too had managed to take cover but opened the passenger side door and dragged Erin outside. They were not that far from the Bailey family farm and with the car probably out of commission they now intended to cut across the field of corn that lay between them and the farm.

Rather than dealing with Erin being difficult by refusing to walk or struggling against them as the tried to drag her along they simply lifted her up and threw her over their shoulder and started walking at a brisk pace. The farm house should be visible within five minute, ten at the very most.
"Now don't you think for a minute I saved you from the glass because I care but because I'm not done with you yet bitch," they said turning their head to the side making it seem as if they were speaking directly into Erin's ass.
"Besides I need you in one piece to bring me Captain Asshat whom you claim refused to let you come back for me as you promised."

Edith/Su-Ji

It wasn't long before Edith caught up with the pink tornado that Su-Ji informed her was actually the human race car from the Golden Spoon incident.
"I'd stay behind it if I were you," she added as Edith began to zigzag across the width of the road as if looking for an opening to overtake Velocity.
She then informed Edith of the plan to have Velocity bring the getaway car to a halt. Or at least find out where it was going.

Edith slowed down a bit and dropped back, figuring that she was close enough either way to be the first media person on the scene, just as she had been at the Golden Spoon. She could actually smell the Pulitzer as she began to brake hard when she saw how the winds created by Velocity blew out the getaway car's windows and how only seconds later that same person who caused the incident at the Golden Spoon exited the car and threw Erin over their shoulder before walking into the corn field.
"Take the long route around by road," Su-Ji said and got off the motorcycle.
"I'll cut through the field as well. Thanks for the ride."

Alexa @Frozen Princess (Mr MacEnroe)

Alexa sat in one of the corner booths at the Golden Spoon nursing a Faygo Cola through a bent straw. She had taken the advice of the young meta who carried helped her out, whom she suspected must be Windy. She had called Mr MacEnroe and told him Velocity vouched for her and that she needed a place to stay. He had asked her to come down to the diner, which was temporarily closed for reparations but he had told her she could hang out there until he had time to help her further and offered her a Faygo Cola on the house.

 

[Frozen Princess]

Farmer's Creek, Bailey Farm property.

Erin, along with anyone else Schro had been in contact with, was in excruciating pain, and she was already doubled over when Blair sent her the rest of the way below the window level of the car.

As Windy roared by (literally) blowing out all the windows and causing the car to rock violently for only a few seconds, her 135 mph winds tugged violently on Schro to pull him out of the car and into the field and tumble him after them. Just as she did that however, she was called off. A lot of the former hostages were screaming in pain, causing her to relent and slow her windspeed. She made a left turn, more because she was naturally pulled to the east , but collapsed, exhausted and laid in the other farmer's tall grass, unseen by Blair on the other side of the two lane highway headed to their own farm. Schro, if he managed to stay conscious after his battle with an EF-2 tornado wouldn't see where the speedster fell either, as she'd have traveled about two full football fields farther south at her 40mph forward momentum, and a good football field into the other farmer's field to the east (240 yards, by 120 yards into the field, covered by her own "cut grass or wheat", and hidden by the tall stacks around her.

After a few seconds she touched her earpiece, "Man, I hated being a tornado... Suspects down, I think. I passed the getaway vehicle in a drainage ditch, but my winds blew out all the windows. Send backup to my coordinates, but don't say them over the air. I think I got made by the driver. Detective Holmes was in excruciating pain, I did notice that. Plus... What you said about the hostages."

Holmes was in no condition to fight Blair until the pain stopped, and even after, her muscles were tired from being tensed up from the pain. She sighed, and groaned, "You mean our commissioner." She moaned weakly. "At least you listened, thank you. Both for that and following tornado protocol when trapped in a car."

Windy finally staggered out of the wheat field, but due to the distance between her and Blair and Erin, could look like a farm hand that was caught outside from the storm. The farmer, his wife, and daughter raced to her asking if she was alright and commented about her racing suit and helmet, which would fortunately, or unfortunately, keep her on that property for a little bit longer. It was still up to Su-Ji and Edith. Only tea and conversation with the family would appease them, and she told Captain Fitzpatrick that, taking her even farther out of sight.

Mr. MacEnroe

John MacEnroe finally got back to Alexa, "Sorry about that, now about your issue. A place to rest, you say? I think I might know of a few, and anyone whom Velocity vouches for, has to be alright. The first place I can think of, isn't too far from here, and depending on your work ethic, you'll be able to stay there free of charge indefinitely. I and Mary, my wife, know the woman who runs it. It's a safehouse for runaway or abandoned teens. Very homey and loving atmosphere. There are chores there, though. Cutting the grass, trash, dishes, dusting... Normal everyday household chores, but in a group setting. Like one big caring family, and like a family, the house mother, or any of the girls would help you with either school work or finding a job. I'd offer the job myself, but..." He shrugged and waved his hand around to the work being done to repair the Golden Spoon. "My daughter and wife have been begging me to get a second waitress, but I can't offer even you a job, for about two or three weeks yet."

He then cleared his throat and gave a smile, "The other place, which can be yours as long as you want it, and probably what Velocity was thinking, is in our back yard, and even has running water, plumbing, electricity and it's own address. 777 1/2 Sunset Street. Catch is, you'll have to take care of the house, which is only three rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and living space, yourself, and tell me if there's anything that needs fixed like the electrical and plumbing. If you know drywall and some spot repairs, you don't need to bother me, just tell me about it and then do it.

Either of those two sound okay with you, Alexa?" He asked, finally sending it back to Alexa for her answer.

Sapphire

After waiting for the pink tornado to pass her spot on the school's parking lot, Sapphire watched her phone, and started following it's path south on T-14. Her car was fuller than it had been getting there, when it was just her, as the Captain and Cardio piled in with her, the Captain still in contact with Windy.

Fitzpatrick radioed in to the techs, "One ambulance, and paddy wagon. Follow us." She was careful not to give the location of where they were headed, per Velocity's request, having suspected the leader was the one who called her to call back Velocity and was somehow listening in on the frequency, though how still escaped her.

"I hope Velocity and Detective Holmes are okay." Ginger said worriedly.

 

[Inkybus]

Getaway five-seater car - Schro

The winds pulled violently at Schro, who ducked his head and held his arms up, biceps steadying his skull while the glass of the windows shattered and pelted into him, cutting him up a little. Angry red lines bled onto his white costume.

The seatbelt dug into his throat as well as the rest of his body, cutting off the airflow and this asphyxiation shut off his brain, as was wont to happen with not enough oxygen flowing to the neurons.

In the meantime, the affected hostages finally stopped screaming, as the phantom pain they were suffering from ceased upon Schro's loss of consciousness.

After losing consciousness, Schro remained incapacitated and restrained by the seatbelt for about eighteen seconds- as per usual for someone who was choked out but was able to breathe once again after that.

 

[MsBloom]

The Carter Family

"You're a strange looking one. Lost your race car did you? I'm Laura, this is my mom and dad, Peter and Elise. And you are?"
It was the fourteen year old daughter of the Carter family who delivered these observations, explanations and questions in rapid succession while rocking back and forth on her feet from heel to toe with her hands behind her back.
"Are you alright," asked Elise Carter and literally put a hand over her daughter's mouth to keep her from further pestering the pink stranger that had just walked out of the field where they had all seen a tornado swerve off the road.
"She can get a bit talkative sometimes this one. The doctors in town are evaluating her for ADHD."
Peter nodded and suggested that Windy should at least come back to the house with them and let them make sure she was uninjured.
"That's a great idea. Mom is the superbestest at patching up scrapes and bruises. Once she even pulled my shoulder back into its socket after I dislocated it. And you have to taste my lemonade. I just made some before Dad saw the tornado coming down the road from Westbrook. Odd don't you think. I mean if it passed through Westbrook surely there would be reports about it. Or maybe it has to do with that strange light last Sunday."
Laura kept talking without pause, barely stopping to breathe, all the way back to the farm house where she prepared a large glass of lemonade with ice and a bendy straw for their strange guest while Elise checked Windy's eyes to assess whether or not she had a concussion.
"Does it hurt anywhere?" she asked.

Blair

It wasn't far through the cornfield from the road to the Bailey's farm and even though they noticed that Detective Holmes stopped screaming an writhing in pain after just a little while she was still no match for them. When they stepped out of the field and onto the yard they put her down though they held on to her wrist.
"No funny business bitch. We're just going to have a little talk with my so-called family. Come out come out wherever you are."
It was a few seconds before a face appeared in the window of the house and then one of Blair's brother's appeared from the barn.
"Well looky here. So you've finally come back home have you. And you brought a friend."
"Shut the fuck up Billy, remember what happened when I left."
The brother called Billy raised his hands and backed away.
"Easy now Blurry. Calm down. No need to break another jaw like you did with Jimmys. Me and Jonas had to take him to the ER to get it set right."
Blair hated that nickname. Blurry but it was at least better than sissy or fagboy both of which were a lot more common coming from their brothers.
"It's Blair," they said and dragged Erin towards the house.
"You too Billy," Blair said as they opened the door.
"Everyone else inside?"

As Blair entered the house after his brother dragging Erin along they found their parents and second oldest brother all standing in the living room staring at them.
"That's right. The prodigal victim of your ignorant abuse returns. And I've brought a cop you can all confess to about how you fucking treated me worse than garbage just for being a bit smarter than you lot, not a great achievement really since you're all dumb as fuck. The fucking chickens out back are smarter than you all put together."
They then tossed Erin at their second oldest brother.
"Tie the bitch up, hands and feet. I have a feeling someone will soon come for her. And then we will have some fun."

Edith/Su-Ji

Using her cat skills, agility and stealth Su-Ji managed to stay hidden as they followed Blair through the corn field to what she figured must be the farm where they grew up. It also dawned on her that perhaps this had been their plan all along. The bank job hadn't been about money but about revenge. She had of course heard the conversation between Blair and Erin about what had happened back when Erin was still in uniform. The question was, as she sat on her feet at the edge of the cornfield watching and hearing the conversation between Blair and their brother, if this was their endgame. If their plan was to kill their family and then Erin, and possibly the commissioner as well.

Meanwhile Edith had taken the long route around and was approaching the Bailey's farm from the south along a narrow, barely paved road. She stopped before actually entering the yard and shot a few panorama shots while narrating what had just happened and where she was.

Alexa

She found it curious that this man, Windy's dad, would offer her to stay in his family's backyard. Sure Windy, Velocity had to be Windy after all, had vouched for her but for all he knew she could be a complete psycho, which, considering whatever it was that had somehow merged with her and granted her the gift of an all female anatomy, with a few side effects of course, probably wasn't too far from the truth. Yes. She, Alexa, was still for the most part herself but she heard all the violent and depraved things her shadow half constantly whispered in her head, like actual thoughts, and couldn't help bu actually be scared of what might happen if it took over completely.